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Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery

by James HoweIllustrated by Alan Daniel

Page 1 of 2

To Purchase this
book click on the cover.

This is the humorous story
of a cat and dog who become convinced that the new pet in the family is a
vampire bunny! Look at the enrichment activities we've created for you and
the other resources below:

Enrichment Activities

A PET'S STORY. . . "My Life With Humans"

The animals in Bunnicula have human characteristics. They can think and
talk and read!
Imagine that your pet could talk. Create a story about your family
from your pet's point of view. First, think about some of the
interesting
things your family does that would make your story funny. If you have more
than one pet, you could have your pets talk to each other in dialogue. If
you don't have a pet, let one of your dolls or stuffed animals tell a story
about your family. Remember to have your pet describe you! Use a graphic organizer to help you think about each member of the family
your pet will describe. Include their age, what they look like, their likes
and dislikes, personality traits, good and bad habits and something about
how the human relates to the pet telling the story (examples: "She never
feeds me," "He calls me a fleabag").

Hint: Use a graphic organizer for this activity. A dog
or cat in the center with thinking bubbles for the child to write about each
family member will help the students be organized in their writing.

IT'S ALL IN A NAME

Bunnicula's name was created by combining "Bunny" and "Dracula." Combine
some other animal names and monsters to create your own weird creature.
Illustrate your monster and then build your
monster out of craft materials, junk, boxes, bags, etc. Be sure that both
parts of the name are represented.

Be a Super Sleuth! Create your own mystery, complete with characters,
crime, and clues! Act it out for another group, so they can try solving your
mystery. To get started, parents or teachers might write a scene on a 3x5
card. Then a team could create the skit from the
suggestion (this would avoid a mystery with violence.) You might read a
partial story to the teams and have each one write different endings or
solutions to the mystery. Chris Van Allsburg's book, The Mysteries of
Harris Burdick, has great story-starters.

PUZZLE IT OUT

Create your own fun night!
Bring games and puzzles that require problem solving. Set up stations and
set your Junior
Sleuths to work. You might include "Clue," an oldie but goodie. You might
have kids brainstorm lots of words that have to do with mysteries, then put
them into a word search (crime, detective, clue, investigation, etc.) Bring
all kinds of puzzles: jigsaw, 3-D, word puzzles, and manipulative
puzzles.

DRACULA  Fact or Fiction?

Provide resources for research to find out about Dracula. Was he a
real person? How much of the legend is fact or fiction?

USE YOUR SENSES

Here's an idea to help the Junior Sleuths use their senses for
investigation. Collect a variety of substances to smell in small
jars or
ziplock bags. Number each bag. Give the kids a sheet of paper with the
numbers on it and a blank next to each number. As they sniff each bag, have
them identify the substance (cinnamon, pepper, soap, crayons). They should
not be able to see the substance, so blindfold the
kids or cover the containers with paper.

Next, test their sense of taste  and be sure all the items you use are edible! Check beforehand for allergies to peanut butter or any other
food products (chocolate, peanut butter, fluff, jello, fruit, etc.) Put
items in little containers and use a plastic spoon as each item is tested.
Again, the students need to be blindfolded!

Then, the sense of touch. Put a variety of items in
individual bags. Label the bags with numbers. Kids reach in and feel each
item. Be creative, but avoid sharp edges. (Suggestions: calculator, paperclip,
rubber ducky)

Record some sounds around the house and see if the kids can detect what
they hear. (Suggestions: running water, the clothes
dryer, someone typing on the computer, electric hair dryer)

You can elaborate on this activity according to your particular group.
You might also test their powers of observation by asking an adult to enter
your classroom who is wearing something that is not quite right or normal.
After the person leaves the room, see if the students noticed what was
different about the visitor's clothing (suggestions: mismatched earrings,
mismatched socks, something buttoned the wrong way). See if the kids can
recall what the person was wearing that was different. You can also move
something in the classroom and then ask the students if they know what's
different in the room.

Galactic Hot Dogs Reading Marathon
Join the Galactic Hot Dogs Reading Marathon! Read each episode as it's re-released with newly revealed facts, behind-the-scenes illustrations, and the inside scoop. Make it official by pledging on the blog to read each chapter with Cosmoe. Your students will love following the exploits of these space travelers, and you'll love the educational elements that can easily be paired to the stories.

Handwashing Awareness
Kids are especially susceptible to contracting and spreading viruses during the winter months. Prevention starts with proper handwashing. Show students how to keep germs away.